The manufacture of electronic devices, including semiconductor devices, electronic displays, and solar cells, for example, may typically include many processes, which processes may be conducted on electronic device manufacturing systems. These processes may include, but are not limited to, deposition, chemical treatment, etching, polishing, ion implantation, epitaxial crystal growth, oxidation, photolithography, diffusion, metallization, and cleaning, etc.
Electronic device manufacturing systems may typically be expensive systems to purchase, put into service and maintain. A typical electronic device manufacturing facility, or fab, may have many of these systems, resulting in a capital intensive facility. While the systems are operational and producing electronic devices, however, these systems, and hence the facility, may be quite profitable. When an electronic device manufacturing system is taken out of service for maintenance (sometimes referred to herein as “down for maintenance”), the facility may lose the output of a profitable piece of capital equipment, until the system can be brought back into production service, and the facility's cost of operation may increase while its profitability may decrease. The longer the system is down, the less profitable the facility may be. The fab operator will therefore typically desire to put the system back into service as soon as possible.
Methods and apparatus for reducing the time electronic device manufacturing systems are down for maintenance, and for increasing the performance of electronic device manufacturing facilities, are desirable.